Garment-gloss-eliminating press



D. H. BENJAMIN.

GAIIMENT @Loss ELIIIIINATING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED ,'.PII.2, I9I7.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

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/Gw m D. H. BENJAMIN. GARIVIENT GLOSS ELIMINATING PRESS.

, APPLICATION FILED APR. 2 i917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

D. H'. BENJAMIN.

GARMENT GLOSS ELIMINATING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APH. 2,1917.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

D. H. BENJAMIN. GRMENT GLOSS ELIMINATING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, i917. 1,409,652. n Patented Man-14, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- HHS/5- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANA H. BENJAMIN, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICANIAUNDRY MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIOGARMENT-GLOSS-ELIMINATING PRESS.

To all i0 hom 'it ma '1/ concern Be it known that I, DANA H. BENJAMIN,citizen of the United States, `residing at Cleveland Heights, in thecounty of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Garment-Gloss-Eliminating Presses, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to garment presses and particularly to that typeutilized for pressing of a material where the surface of the fabric mustbe finished without gloss or wrinkles and to a method for removing glossfrom the fabric of garments.

Various types of machines have been utilized for this purpose and themost common is one wherein there is a garment support or buck whichisusually steam heated and a presser head adapted to be brought down intoengagement with the garment on the buck or support and also steamheated, together with some means for supplying steam either up throughthe padding to the garment from the bottom, down through the padding tothe garment from the top, or both, or further of a type wherein steam issupplied from the edge of the presser head while it is near but beforeit has reached the face of the garment. All of these machines supply thegarment with heat and moisture as well as mechanical pressure and theeffect is such that when the garment is pressed, and extreme mechanicalpressure employed, the fibres of the fabric are matted down and presentan unsightly glossy finish which is very undesirable to' the trade.Machines of this type are decidedly desirable over hand pressing for thereason that they have sufficient mechanical pressure to crush the seamsor other thickened parts to meet with the requirements of the industry,but this eX- treme pressure with heat and moisture, as before stated,produces an extreme gloss and matting of the fibres or nap. It has been-practically impossible heretofore to eliminate this gloss with any ofthese machines in spite of any manipulation which might be had of theSteamers, or in fact to eliminate it entirely by hand work, so thatthere has been a constant objectionto the use of these machines bymanufactures in finishing new garments, especially garments made of suchmaterials as blue serge, which under mechanical pressure with heat andmoisture produces an extreme gloss, which as before Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

1917. Serial No. 159,204.

indicated, is only partially removed bv great and laborious effort. U

The present invention also contemplates` a pressing apparatus whereinthe garment may be pressed with the desired mechanical pressurenecessary for pressing seams and the thickened parts and at the sainetime suitable means is provided for preventing gloss, or, havingreceived the gloss, for eliminating the same from the face of thefabric.

The invention further relates to a method of removing gloss from thecloth of garments, consisting, broadly stated` in arranging the garmentin proper position foi pressing, subiecting 1t to heat and steam, andwhile 1n such prearranged condition and while the steam is present inthe fabric treating the subjected fabric to the action of a cooledelement which causes the steam to be condensed at the surface therebyremoving the steam and preventing or removing gloss.

.In the specific embodiment set forth in detail herein the machinecomprises a garment support having means for supplying heat and moistureto the face of the fabric treated and subjecting such heat and moisturetreated face to the action of amedium such that the gloss is entirelyremoved even from the most` obstinate fabric such as blue serge, themedium in the present instance utilized for this purpose being achilling member which when brought into engagement with the finishedface of the fabric either during the pressing operation or afterwardserves to entirely eliminate the gloss, the action being believed to beone of condensing the moisture on the face of the fabric thereby causingthe raising of the nap from its matted condition and destroying thegloss.

The invention comprises the construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevationof the machinewith the head in closed position; Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view insection showing the steaming valve for the lower buck; Fig. 3 is anenlarged view partly in section of the upper' portion of the presslooking at the left side as shown in Fig. 1 and showing the arrangementof the parts; Fig. 4 is a top plan of the presser head with its attachedparts; Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the press head, the glosseliminating member, and

manipulation by the operator.

showing the support in elevation and partly in section; and Fig. 6 is aView inI vertical section through the presser head and support showing amodified form wherein the presser head is cooled and operates directlyupon the garment.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings 1 represents acombined standard and base provided with a garment supporting member 2which is provided with a steamvchamber 3 therein passing under adiaphragm plate4 at the top, which is spaced from a foraminous presser'plate 5 suitably supported above the diaphragm plate .4. A chamber 6 isthereby formed in this lower buck or support and this chambercommunicates with the chamber 3 by a suitable valve structure comprisinga seat 7 and a valve 8, the latter being operated by a suitable rod 9connected to a foot treadle 10 in a well known manner so that when thefoot treadle is depressed steam is permitted to pass from the chamber 3into the chamber 6 whence it may pass through the foraminous plate 5 tothe padding 11 and up through the garment and to the face thereof.

The chamber o also communicates with an opening 12 controlled by a valve13 which is connected to anoperating rod 14 adapted for actuation by themain treadle mechanism 15 in any suitable manner. a Communicating withthe opening 12 is an exhaust pipe 16 leading to a blower 17 or any othersuitable vacuum producing device.

Secured to the standard 1 is a head supporting bracket 18 extending upto'the rear of the machine. Pivotally mounted at the upper end of thismember is a press head supporting lever 19 having a pair of for? wardlyextending arms 2() engaging the shaft 21 supported in ears-22 forming apart of a press head 23 which is provided with a heating chamber 24supplied with a heating medium in any suitable manner through pipes 25and 26. This press head is provided at its front edge with a steamingdevice consisting of a plate 27 forming a thin channel28 along under thefront edge of the press head communicating by a central opening 29 withan opening in'a casting 30 extending up and secured to a controllingvalve casing 31 provided with a Valve seat 32 and valve 33 which in turnis actuated by a valve lever 34 conveniently placed Jfor The valvecasing 31 communicates with a shut-ofi valve 35 in communication bymeans of the pipe 36 with the chamber in the presser head.

The lower face of this heated presser head is provided with suitablepadding 37 which extends around the steaming device and serves to form ayielding pressing surface.

The description thus far has been confined to a typeof machine which isalready on the market, the following disclosure relating to themechanism which forms the specific subject matter of this invention.

The press head 23 is provided with extensions 38 and 39, at oppositeends, each of which is provided with a guide bracket 4() having in itsinner face a groove '41 for receiving rollers 42 on suitable pinsmounted in a frame consisting of the end members 43 and cross struts 44.The rollers 42 are held in place in the grooves 41 by suitable retainerstrips 45. Each of the end members 43 is provided with a central bearingportion 46 adapted to receive a trunnion 47 forming a part ot' a frame48 which is provided with a thin plate .49 adapted to conform to theshape and configuration of the upper surface of the support. This framealso carries an upper plate 50 forming an upper casing member. Securedin the frame 48 are suitable circulating pipes 51 and 52 for water orother cooling medium. This gloss removing or cooling member is providedwith a suitable paddin 53. The operation of the device is as fol ows:-

Assuming that steam is supplied to the steam chamber of the buck and tothe presser head and that a cooling medium is applied to the. glossremoving member, the operator places a garmentupon the support with theface ot the fabric upward. The press is then closed with the glossremoving member to the rear or in the position Shown in Fig. 4. Heat andsteam for pressing may be furnished in either of two ways, either upfrom below through the padding of the support and through the garment,or onto the face ot the garment just prior to the engagement of thepresser head with the garment. lhen the press is closed the garment issubjected to mechanical pressure,

the heat and moisture permits the mechan-v ical pressure to crush theseams and thickened,l parts but produces al very high sheen or gloss.This gloss is removed by opening the press and pulling the glossremoving member forward over the .support and then bringing it down uponthe face of the garment. If there is sufiicient steam in the garment topermit chilling action to remove the gloss then no further steam need beapplied, but if there is not sufficient steam left in the garment thenadditional steam for this purpose may be supplied`by`operatingtheisteamer valve in the lower buck permitting steam to pass up throughthe t'oraminous plates through the garment to the face which isimmediately under the cooling or gloss removing member. It has beenfound tha-t this gloss removing member need only be in engagement withthe garment in the nature of a confining pressure.

lWhen the press is again opened the garment is pressed and the' gloss isremoved.

If sufficient steam has not been supplied up through the garment aswhere very thick garments are being operated upon, then before the glossremoving member is drawn forward the presser head is brought down nearthe garment and steam is discharged upon its face from the edge steamer,whereupon the gloss removing or chilling member is drawn forward andbrought into confining engagement with the garment.

If desired the intermediate chilling member may be eliminated and inplace of the presser head being steam heated and being provided with asteamer it may be itself cooled with a circulat-ion of Water in whichcase it would act in the same manner as the' intermediate chillingmember. This arrangement is clearly shown in Fig. 6 in which case thepipe represents one of two water circulating pipes.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a garment press, a garmentsupport,

means for supplying heat and moisture to the face of the garment on saidsupport, and a condensing member operatively associated with saidsupport for affecting the heat and moisture treated face of the fabricin a manner to remove the gloss therefrom.

2. In a garment press, a garment support, means for applying heat andmoisture to the face of the garment thereon, and a condensing member foraffecting the heat and moisture treated fabric to eliminate the glosstherefrom.

3. In a garment press, a garment support, means for applying heat andmoisture to the face of the garment thereon, a condensing memberforaffecting the heat and moisture treated fabric to eliminate the glosstherefrom, and means for maintaining said member at condensingtemperature.

4. Ina garment press, a garment support, means for applying heat andmoisture to the face of the garment theron, a member for affecting theheat and moisture treated fabric, and means for cooling said memberwhereby when it contacts with the heat and moisture treated fabric thegloss is `removed therefrom. l

5. In a garment press, a garment support, means for applying heat andmoisture to the face of the garment thereon, a hollow `member, and meansfor supplying a. cooling medium to the chamber therein.

6. In a garment press, a garment support, an upper pressing member,means for supplying heat thereto, means fon applying heat and moisturelto the face of the garment, and condensing means for affecting the heatand moisture treated face of the fabric in a manner' to remove glosstherefrom.

7 In a garment press, a garment support, a press head, means forsupplying heat thereto. means for applying moisture to the face of thegarment, and a chilling device cooperatively related to said support foraffecting the moisture and heat treated face of the fabric thereon.

8. In a garment press, a garment support, a press head, means forsupplying heat thereto, means for applying heat and moisture. to theface of the garment, and a .chilling device for affecting the moistureand heat treated face of the fabric and comprising a relatively coolmember adapted to be brought into engagement with the face of thefabric.

9. In a garment press, a garment support,

a press head, means for supplying heat thereto, means for applying heatand moisture to the face of the garment, and a chilling device foraffecting the moisture and heat treated face of the fabric, andcomprising a hollow member, and means for cooling the same.

10. In a garment press, a garment support, a press head, means forsupplying heat thereto, means for applying heat and moisture to the faceof the garment and a chilling device for affecting the moisture and heattreated face of the fabric, and comprising a hollow member movable intoand out of alignment with the support, and means for supplying a coolingmedium to the same.

11. In a garment press, a garment support, a heated press head, a glosseliminating condensing member supported on the machine for movement intoand out of alignment with the support, and means for supplying heat andmoisture to the face of the fabric to be treated.

12. In a garment press, a frame, a garment support, a heated press headsupported for movement in the frame, a chilling member slidably mountedupon said press head and movable into and out of alignment with thegarment support, and means for Supplying heat and moisture to the faceof the fabric treated.

13. A. method of treating cloth after pressing which consists inapplying to the surface of the cloth, while the steam is confinedtherein, a cooled element to cause the steam to be drawn to the surfaceof the cloth and condensed on such surface thereby removing the steamand the shiny or glossy appearance of the cloth.

14. A method of treating garments in a pressing machine, which consistsin arranging the garment upon a support in the machine, and applying acooled element to the surface of the cloth of the garment while soarranged and while steam is present in the cloth, to cause the steam tobe condensed at the surface of the cloth and thereby removing the shinyor glossy appearance of its position in saidl machine, and passing airthrough the garment to dry the same.

16. A method of treating cloth after steaming which consists in applyingto the surface of the cloth, while the steam is confined therein, acooled element to cause the steam to be drawn to the surface of thecloth and condensed on such surface thereby removing the steam and theshiny or glossy appearance of the cloth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

DANA H. BENJAMIN.

